The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

Theater during World War II. In 1949 he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, and served as assistant director of the university’s interna- tional relations center. Mr. Gendreau joined the Foreign Service in 1952. He served in Puerto la Cruz, Mexico City, Venezuela and Washington, working primarily in Latin American affairs. He was the State Department’s expert on the Falkland Islands during the 1982 war. Following retirement Mr. Gend- reau settled in Brooklyn Park, Minn., where he was a founding member of AFSA Upper Midwest. In a tribute to Mr. Gendreau, AFSA Upper Midwest President Malcolm McClean, Secre- tary Brynhild Rowberg and Amb- assador Robert A. Flaten said: “Chuck was the first president of AFSA Upper Midwest. He wrote editorials on our behalf, and scheduled our meetings with Minnesota senators and representatives, giving us a pro- fessional voice well beyond our num- bers. He was also a member of the board of directors of the United Nations Association of Minnesota. Retirees in the Midwest will miss him greatly.” Survivors include Mr. Gendreau’s wife of 55 years, Joan; two sons, Brian and John; two daughters, Jennifer Olson and Suzanne Gendreau; and nine grandchildren. Memorial gifts may be sent to the Community Emer- gency Assistance Program, 6840 78th Ave N, Brooklyn Park MN 55445, or the United Nations Association of Minnesota, 2104 Stevens Ave S, Minneapolis MN 55404. Faith Stewart Hillenbrand , 86, wife of Ambassador Martin J. Hillenbrand, died May 7 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, Ga. Mrs. Hillenbrand was born on Nov. 10, 1917, in Tokyo to American mis- sionary parents, who died while she was still a girl. As the eldest of four children, she spent much of her youth in caring for her three siblings in Fort Valley, Ga. After graduation from Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky., she taught in the Georgia school system for a year. In 1941, she departed for Burma as a missionary. While in Rangoon, she met vice consul Martin Hillenbrand, whom she married in June 1942. After Japan entered the war, Faith Hillenbrand became an ambulance driver with the St. John’s Ambulance Corps. During the Japanese advance on Burma, she left for Calcutta on one of the last flying boats to stop at Rangoon. In Calcutta she managed U.S. Army Gen. “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell’s office while he was in Assam training Chinese forces to liberate Burma. Mrs. Hillenbrand accompanied her husband on assignment to numerous posts, including Lourenço Marques, Bremen, Washington, D.C., Paris, Berlin, Bonn and Budapest, where he served as the first U.S. ambassador to the Hungarian People’s Republic. In 1972, her husband was assigned to West Germany as ambassador. Mrs. Hillenbrand fulfilled her official duties as hostess with elegance and finesse; she took that role seriously, and set an example that was rarely equaled. In 1976, she and her husband moved to Paris, France, where they lived for six happy years. In 1983, Amb. Hillenbrand accepted a position at the University of Georgia, and they moved to Athens, where Mrs. Hillenbrand was active in the University Women’s Club and the Wednesday Study Club. She spent much of this time traveling with her husband, including several tours of the great restaurants of France. Mrs. Hillenbrand is survived by her husband of nearly 62 years, Martin, and by her three children; Ruth Quinet of Seattle, Wash.; David Hillenbrand of Toronto and Savannah, Ga.; and John Hillenbrand of Athens, Ga. They all remember her for her adventurous and rebellious spirit, her love of travel and fine dining, her gar- den and her dogs, her intense loyalty to her friends and family, and her gener- ous spirit. She was the loving grand- mother of Derrick Quinet, Stuart Hillenbrand, and Joseph Hillenbrand. Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Mary’s Hospice, P.O. Box 6588, Athens GA 30604. Matthew James Looram Jr. , 83, retired FSO and former ambassador, died March 16 at his home in Langau, Austria. Born in New York City, Amb. Looram was educated at the Buckley School, St. Paul’s School, and graduat- ed from Harvard College in 1943. He served in the U.S. Army’s 13th Airborne Division from 1943 to 1946, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of captain, and then worked briefly for a shipping company. In 1948 Amb. Looram joined the Foreign Service. Following assign- ments to Rome (1948-1952) and Paris (1952-1955), he served as French desk officer in Washington (1955-1959). In 1959 he was posted as consul to Asmara, and was detailed to the Canadian National Defence College in 1962. He returned to Washington as desk officer for Angola and Mozam- bique. He was appointed successively deputy director for Central African and for North African affairs. In 1966 he was named country director for Northeast African Affairs. In 1969 he was assigned to Benin as ambassador. His last assignment was as ambassador 78 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 4 I N M E M O R Y